


Problematic

by ConfessionForAnotherTime



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Citadel Spoilers, Cute, Fluff, Gen, Mass Effect 3: Citadel, Minor Shepard/Garrus Vakarian, mentioned Jack/Miranda
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-26
Updated: 2015-03-26
Packaged: 2018-03-19 16:31:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3616638
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ConfessionForAnotherTime/pseuds/ConfessionForAnotherTime
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mordin lives releasing the cure on the Shroud and makes it to the Citadel party.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Problematic

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Elvie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elvie/gifts).



“Shepard. Always good to see you.” Mordin smiled at her from the other side of the strip, neon lights setting off the lighter tones in his skin. “Wanted to meet me here. Plans for tonight?”

“Well, Mordin, I was thinking that we would head over to the sushi place, but it’s closed for some reason. However, the casino happens to have good food as well. Interested?” She quirked a grin after rubbing the back of her neck. It was well known that the sushi restaurant was closed because of her, but coming out and saying it still gave her pause.

“Would be a pleasure. Sushi… uncomfortable anyway. Too close to own biology.” Mordin held out a hand for her to lead the way, the pair heading into the casino to order from the bar.

Conversation soon became more important than the food in front of them as Shepard recounted their first meeting in the slums of Omega.

“So much was so different back then. I had just come back, but nothing felt like it did before. Through all the missions we went through and the information we sought trying to figure out what exactly was going on before the Reapers arrived, I didn’t think I would be able to find a group as tightly knit as the one I had formed on the first Normandy. Mordin, thank you for being part of that family to help me find home again.” She raised her glass, drinking to him, to Garrus, to everyone who had served under her in the years since she first took over the command of the Normandy and its crew. This was for all the lives that had been lost over the years as well, all of the days sacrificed for the cause.

“Shepard. Also to you. Without you, war would be lost. Either way, happy to help.” Mordin raised his glass as well, pleased at the job well done on Tuchanka that never would have happened without Shepard’s help.

“This way Shepard.” Mordin led the way out after paying the bill, looking out onto the balcony of the casino. So little of their time had been able to be spent relaxing and taking in the scenery, so he was determined to do as much as he could, even if it was on the bustling city of the Citadel. The night grew long as they migrated upstairs after some fresh air outside, grabbing a few drinks at the bar, but opting for the quieter atmosphere of the balconies and walkways near the casino instead of in the bar itself.

“Tell me, Shepard. Plans after this?” Mordin sipped his drink, looking out over the neon display. It had been a while since they spoke like this, for once not having to worry too much about impending worry aside from the war looming over their heads.

“Haven’t thought too much about it really. I’m sure someone or something will come to mind.” She really hadn’t given it much thought considering… no. Mordin was able to come back from releasing the cure for the Genophage, even if this is different. Another problem for another time. She took another sip of her drink, finishing it and ordering another round for the both of them. “What about you? Now that you have set out to make right a lot of the wrong caused by your people, what do you plan to do?” She wasn’t sure if she really wanted the answer, but anything to take the shift off of her, and potentially hear about some good coming into the world because of their travels was a welcome change of pace.

“Not many years left. Krogan daycare possibly. According to Wrex, honorary Krogan. Besides, happy to help. Only makes sense.” He shrugged his shoulders in the same way he had seen her do so many times before, curling his mouth into a grin. “Need more good in the world. Figured it could be me.”

“You always figure it’ll be you. You’re starting to gather as much of a hero complex as I am. Not the job we want, but the job we’re given.” Shepard raises her glass again. Three years since Eden Prime. Two since her death, and here she was, on the edge of winning a war she didn’t know she was being enlisted in. Here she was with the person responsible for ensuring the continuation of a species. It was a lot to take in sometimes, yet sitting here right now, it seemed like all of it had stopped just long enough to let everyone recharge and calm down in the storm they were heading towards. “You know Mordin, in spite of all of it, I think we’re going to make it out of this in one piece.”

“Optimistic. Sentiment not lost. So much to fight for. So much lost already. Still, do what we must.” Mordin finished off his drink. Holding up a hand to indicate that he was done when Shepard finished hers.

“You know, I’ve been thinking of organizing a party for everyone.” Shepard laughed after the comment, hoping Mordin would catch onto the tone of her statement.

“Everyone? Could be interesting. Wrex too? Stock up on alcohol. Food too. Made plans for store runs?” Mordin ticking off the places she still needed to go to didn’t sit well with her, reminding her how much more needed to be done in order to get ready for the party. Anderso--well, her apartment was well stocked already, but she knew her crew. Things were bound to get rowdy if given the opportunity as the company. Just adding Wrex to the mix increased those odds to almost one hundred percent.

“I’ll take care of it for sure. Liara has been helping get things ready and with her VI, it wouldn’t be too hard to get everything together for a party by tomorrow. I got this Mordin.” She waved him off to calm him before standing up. “So, what do you say? Will you be there?”

“Night life. Former crew. Alcohol. Sounds disastrous. Count me in.” Mordin stood up himself, giving Shepard a form nod as punctuation to his sentence.

“Excellent. I’ll send out an invitation over the extranet with details on how to get to the apartment and what time to show up. See you then!” she called to him as they parted, waving over her shoulder.

“Look forward to it, Shepard.”

\---

Being a close friend and willing to help, Liara arrived early to the apartment Anderson had given Shepard, bringing her VI drone, affectionately called Glyph, to the apartment with her. The two of them had grown close as friends, looking out for one another as was expected. The angel on her shoulder arrived not long after, rubbing his forehead against her lovingly, arms around her waist.

“Well, it looks like you have planned quite the party. Amino-based foods, dextro-based foods, enough alcohol to take down a Yahg, it looks like you plan to get the whole block drunk when I know this is for a little over a dozen people,” Garrus drawled out, his voice low and smooth. “Though, I shouldn’t be surprised at the lengths you go to with a party considering I know how you head into the battlefield.” Liara smiled from over her datapad, shaking her head in amusement.

“We shouldn’t really be surprised that Shepard would put together this big of a party. Though, I’m not sure we really need this much alcohol.” She surveyed the bar, eyes getting wider as more and more bottles came into view. Shepard pulled away from Garrus’ embrace, opening the cabinets after getting behind the bar. Bottles and bottles of alcohol were stored in the cabinets, more than any one person should ever need. The two of them looked at her, more than a little alarmed.

“Pretty sure we’re going to need more, really,” Shepard told the other two, Glyph bouncing excitedly behind them.

“I can send a requisition for you to the local liquor store, if you would like, Commander,” Glyph droned. She could swear he was smiling, despite being a VI program.

“That would be a good idea Glyph. Make sure to order more rhyncol.” Shepard grinned at the two sets of eyes focused on her in confusion.

“Wrex and Grunt are coming. I want to ensure we don’t have to go out again mid-party.”  Liara shook her head as Garrus turned to the door at the sound of the buzzer. Shepard walked over to the intercom, turning on the overhead display to see who was at the door. Mordin looked around, not knowing he was being watched, leaning forward to speak into the intercom.

“Shepard. Came early to help.” He shifted in front of the camera, swaying a bit in his motions.

“Mordin, good. We can send Garrus out to do the heavy lifting while you and Liara help me set up.” Shepard flashed Garrus a grin as he shook his head.

“Always sending me out for the heavy lifting. Though, as your boyfriend, I suppose that is to be expected. Can’t have you straining anything before we head off to save the world.” His hand grazed her arm, giving her a playful look and crouching down behind the bar to help pull out some of the bottles that they would be drinking from later that night. Shepard buzzed Mordin up, pulling him into a hug once he was inside the door of the luxurious apartment.

“Lovely place. Very spacious. Good for entertaining,” Mordin commented as he took in the scene. “Happy I could see it. Easy to have company.” The salarian wandered around the place, heading up the stairs after Garrus had left to retrieve the ordered alcohol. Mordin spent a good bit of time upstairs, observing the others as they came in. Some were more reserved than other when they greeted Shepard, he noted, while others did not restrain their happiness at the opportunity to unwind with some of their favorite people. He let out a sigh, quirking a half-smile when Shepard came to join him on the balcony railing overlooking the living room.

“So many people here. Several I don’t know. Seem nice.” He brought his hands together over the rail, watching the small VI. “A VI even. Come with apartment?”

“They really are. Some of best people I know are gathered here right now.” Shepard explained, shaking her head. “No, Glyph belongs to Liara. She brought him along to help with her duties as the Shadow Broker as well as help organize the party. He’s been ensuring that only the right people get in, with Grunt’s help.” The two of them laughed when they noticed Grunt shouting away and denying another set of people desperate to get in to the most exclusive party of the year with one of the world’s heroes.

“Still. Good people here. Good food. Good drink. Nice to relax for once.” Mordin took the drink that Wrex offered him, tipping his glass to the old Krogan. Wrex wandered back off to find Garrus, as the two of them had grown closer over the years.

“Nice to relax before all hell breaks loose. Again. Still, I don’t think that many people could say that peace could be brought and upheld by a group as diverse as the one in this apartment.” Shepard laughed softly, sloshing the ice around in her otherwise empty glass. “Seeing everyone take a breather for once instead of worrying about if they’re going to die today is a joy that I never want to let go of.” Her face slackened, no longer smiling. “When you guys make it out of this…” She started, Mordin cutting her off.

“You mean we. We make it. Made it this far. Making it to the end now. You can make it if I can.” Mordin tapped his glass against hers, not letting her fall into the mindset that she wasn’t going to make it out. The long red hair that shadowed her face was brushed back, her lips curled at him softly.

“I meant we. When we make it out of this, we are going to throw the biggest damn party Earth has ever seen. The galaxy even!” She shakes her head, laughing. She grabs his hand once he finishes his drink, pulling him down the steps and into the pulse of the music in the kitchen. He yelped out a protest, but it is ignored. She pushed him in to dance with the group, most of them already moving and having a good time. Shepard laughed at Mordin’s pathetic attempt as he danced, or tried too, then showed him how terrible she could dance to make him feel better. He laughed at the dance, then felt better about his own. He joined in on the group’s recitation of the elements of the periodic table, exclaiming about how this was his kind of party and how happy he was to have come to such a wonderful occasion.

As the night wore on, Tali crawled her way into the bathroom. Mordin grew concerned over her mumbled confessions about a holo tattoo, but dismissed them when she fell asleep on the floor. He laughed with Shepard at finding Grunt in the shower upstairs, amused at the idea of the young Krogan getting so drunk that he had become existential and introspective. Mordin settled onto one of the plush leather couches that wasn’t taken up by one of the many sprawled, drunken bodies staying the night. The simulated night sky still glowed with the hurried pace of the Citadel with the muted calm of the strip. Mordin hummed to himself as the last one fell asleep, thankful to be surrounded by friends on the precipice of victory.

\---

The next morning, despite being one of the last ones to fall asleep, Mordin was one of the first few awake. Shepard had stumbled out of her bedroom earlier than he had ever seen her, smile painted on her face as Garrus followed after a few minutes later. As the apartment quietly came to life with a chorus of groans and calls for pain relief, there was a quiet rustling from several of the soldiers, eager to meet the morning.

“Functioning on little sleep. Consumed a lot of alcohol. Unaffected. Curious,” Mordin said next to Jacob and Kaidan. Jack still slept in the bedroom where the two of them were standing, her arms curled around Miranda. Jack murmured quiet swear words at each of the men standing outside their door, threatening to tear them apart if they continued to talk.

“Welcome to life in the military really.” Kaidan almost groaned as he ran his fingers over the back of his neck. He complained of sore muscles, presumably because of sleeping position. “Ever since awakening my biotics, I haven’t been able to drink enough to keep up with the metabolism that comes with it. It takes a lot to get us drunk and it takes even more to keep us that way. I’m surprised that Jack, Wrex, and Grunt didn’t clean Shepard out of all the alcohol in the apartment.” He cast his eyes over toward the area of the bar, seeing the trail of empty bottles that were littered between where they stood and the other room.

He was greeted by Liara as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She wandered quickly into one of the many bathrooms, more interested in in ridding herself of morning breath than talking at the given time. She practically tripped over Tali who was still curled up on the floor. She laughed, waking her up more from the unintentional kick to her ribs than the noise. Mordin continued to the living room, spying EDI with a pillow in her lap. Joker was curled on the couch, only taking up half of it, but his head laid on the pillow as she stroked his hair with her hand. EDI waved to Mordin, keeping quiet as Joker continued to sleep on her lap. The morning sun had filtered in at this point, starting to cast brightly lit orange surrounded shadows around the room from where the sun was coming in through the blinds. He reached up and closed as many of them as he could get to, earning him a thumbs up from each of the Krogan who were no longer blinded by the light in their faces.

Shepard grabbed Mordin by the arm, pulling him outside to the balcony where the morning air was still crisp. She put a finger over her lips and looked over to the others. Not everyone was awake yet, but she knew that she had to work quickly with the little time she had left before everyone else was awake. Shepard pulled Mordin into a hug and held him tight for several minutes.

“I swear, I thought we were going to lose you back on Tuchanka. I know you were set to do what was right and make sure that the cure released into the air, but I’m just so relieved that after everything, especially after Thane and Legion, that we were able to find a way to not to lose you too. There’s been so much loss in this way that I don’t know what we would do without you here. Not to mention the fact that you have taken over the supervision of ensuring the Crucible is the best weapon we can make to take down the Reapers.” She looked a little sheepish by the end of it, ruffling her hair on the back of her head. “I think what I want to say here is thanks. Thank you for working on a cure to fix what was made wrong so many years ago and thank you for being here. It means a lot.” Mordin’s smile grew wider the longer she spoke, and she would swear that he was about to cry at her words.

“Shepard. Always a pleasure. Happy to help. Now and in the future too. Anytime you need me.”

  
  



End file.
